Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Table Saw

22 September 2013

Re: [DIY] Table Saw

I know it means two tools, but the ubiquitous "chop saws" or power
miter saws have essentially killed new radial arm saw sales.
Easier and lighter to move to the job site. Would do great for
all the crosscuts for the flooring.

For ripping flooring strips, even the lightweight table saws will
do, and again have the advantage of being easy to bring to the work
site.

The big downside of the smaller table saws for the crosscuts,
is the length of the contact patch on the miter guide. You could screw a
longer board to the little miter guide they provide to help with more
accurate cuts. Would work fine. Invest in a good quality blade.

The big heavy table saws are great for cabinet construction, if
you want to move in that direction. If you only want to do the flooring
with minimal investment in tools, that's a different tool/cost
choice path.

On 9/21/13 12:18 PM, Frank Ruggiero wrote:
>
>
> Hi Subprong.
>
> I'm talking about cutting Bamboo flooring strips. I would essentially
> need to cross cut and then rip the last row.
>
> The strips are about 3-4 feet in length.
>
> Originally I was going to bring a radial arm saw to my house from my
> mothers house, but it is HEAVY. I mean heavy. I think it was made in the
> 50's. It is so heavy, that at first I thought it was mounted into the
> cement floor.
>
> Then I figured maybe a table saw could both rip and cut giving me an
> advantage over the radial arm saw.
>
> Frank
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 21, 2013, at 2:55 PM, subprong <subprong@gmail.com
> <mailto:subprong@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>>
>> Are you talking about sheet goods such as plywood and OSB. Or are you
>> talking about ripping 2x4s.
>>
>> A table saw will cross cut, rip cut, miter and bevel. However, how
>> well it does is the big question and determined by the saw that you
>> purchase. IMHO, you'll not want to settle for cheaper home use models
>> (Skil and such). Look for at least the mid-range more powerful models
>> that also offer a bigger surface area for the wood.
>>
>> Either way, you may want to build some extension tables for the saw
>> for the big pieces of wood to set on while cutting and to slide off
>> onto once the cut is finished. If a piece of wood sags or drags or
>> rocks off the blade, bad things can happen with the cut and
>> potentially to the operator.
>>
>> Here is a rather fancy version. You could actually just use portable
>> patio tables that are set up at the same height as the saw table, if
>> need be.
>>
>> http://www.woodcraft.com/Articles/Articles.aspx?articleid=432
>>
>> Also, know that Home Depot and Lowes stores both have a huge saw and
>> will cut sheet goods for customers. This is good if you need big 4x8
>> sheets cut down to size for transportation reasons or if you simply
>> need them cut down to size for storage or more manageable pieces to
>> cut on your own table saw.
>>
>> -
>>
>> If you've got money to burn and want to buy a specialty tool, you
>> could opt for a track saw for those big pieces of sheet goods. Takes
>> up a lot less space....
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SE8Cjfb7VY8#t=175
>>
>> On Sat, Sep 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM, Frank Ruggiero <frankruggiero@me.com
>> <mailto:frankruggiero@me.com>> wrote:
>>
>> __
>>
>> Hi Experts.
>>
>> Am I correct in assuming that if I purchased a table saw, that I
>> could cross cut and rip wood that is about 4 feet in length?
>>
>> Trying to find one machine that can do both.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Frank
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>

--
Dave Uebele (daveu@sptddog.com)